‘Wellbeing’ is a bit of a buzzword in the workplace at the moment, but most companies pay little attention to the impact of emotions and how employees are, or should be ‘feeling’. They don’t realise how central emotions are to building the right culture, and often it’s not managed at all. Companies suffer as a result.

Many senior executives have climbed the corporate ladder believing that professionalism means leaving your emotions at the front door and might cringe at the idea of basing their organisation off human emotion or becoming a “business of feelings”. But, if they want their company to thrive in the modern world, it’s an idea they should really get behind. Emotional culture influences employee satisfaction, burnout, teamwork, financial performance and absenteeism. Change and uncertainty are no longer occasional challenges; they are permanent features of the corporate environment and often cause fear and procrastination.

Changing times present many challenges, not least how to stay motivated and focussed when you’re working in isolation, dealing with an unpredictable present and concerned about a possibly uncertain future. Some people seem better equipped to deal with change than others. Different mindsets and personalities respond differently. Some embrace it. Some fear it. Friction can arise as a result.

Establishing effective team culture is crucial… particularly when there isn’t a building at the heart of it. When you understand people’s feelings and values you can better align them to team goals and build shared purpose to increase job satisfaction. Job satisfaction leads to better productivity and staff retention.

Strong communication skills are essential to build trust amongst colleagues and clients. Especially in the virtual and remote workspace, where we can no longer rely on bonding face-to-face or resolving issues in a social setting. Often, we find we can no longer rely on having a good old moan with our colleagues down the pub after work. Building good relationships in an online world needs even greater connection skills and rapport. To become a better, clearer communicator, it is vital to understand emotional intelligence in the workplace.

When we understand how emotions affect decisions and behaviours, we are better able to motivate, resolve office toxicity, workplace conflict and negativity, and to manage difficult conversations with positive results. Getting rid of weaknesses in the workplace will not automatically maximise strengths. We need to build on them. Lack of confidence, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, unhelpful thinking patterns, people pleasing, and poor judgement are all obstacles that get in the way of progress. It is important to identify them. But it is people’s strengths; a positive mindset, resilience, effective coping strategies, and good time management that really create momentum in the workplace.  If you would like to see how Sailboat can help you to solve some of these important emotional issues, then please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.